Friday, November 27, 2009

Freesourcing And Business Start Up

So, there I was over the pass day and half at Kensington Olympia. It was indeed a crowded event and I am glad that I stayed over in London last night to arrive early today.

I was fortunate to meet Jonathan Yates, the author of Freesourcing and got him to sign a copy! Luckily I did that because his session at later the day was jam packed and I couldn't get entry. (Jonathan, its proof of your upcoming following). Freesourcing challenges the norm by stating that you could start your business with what you already have in hand. Will review his book when I am done reading it.

As there were back to back seminars all day, I tried to attend every main session where possible. It was worthwhile as I got an abundance of new ideas and inspiration to apply at work and also personal endeavours. Some of the key speakers where from BBC's Dragons Den (Concept adopted from Japan!!!). They were Doug Richardson from season 1 & 2 and the new Dragon Julie Meyer from the online version of the series. I did not manage to see Richard Farleigh as it was overcrowded which demonstrates how popular he is. There were other good speakers such as Richard Branson's ex right hand man, Brad Rosser.

Tons of booth filled with heaps of other products and services were also present. If you have the funding, you could outsource and co-source most of your back end work but the challenge is to get the right balance. I had a browse around and nothing in particular attracted me but it is worth saying that a handful were internet based services and businesses. This shows that the internet is still growing.

Last but not least, I spent GBP 40 on books which was worth while as it appears to be cheaper than Amazon. Since the event was free entry, it was like a trade off. In the picture you can see my event ticket and my band which is proof that you have entry and also the stack of books I got.